Freddy vs Jason vs Ash (Jeff Katz, James Anthony Kuhoric, Jason Craig)

If you've seen "Freddy vs Jason" (2003), then you know what happens when you mix two famous horror franchises together.  What would happen if you added a THIRD...?

An undead horror has returned to the forests of Crystal Lake seeking an evil book at the behest of a nightmarish figure intent on reshaping the world to his warped dreamscape.  The only thing standing between these two monsters and genocidal slaughter is The Chosen One, a chainsaw... and a boomstick...

"Freddy vs Jason vs Ash" was quite enjoyable- though a fair bit more serious in tone than you'd expect from a book featuring Ash Williams of "Evil Dead" fame.  There's humour to be sure- but it's mostly delivered in the form of quips by Ash and Freddy, rather than the slapstick that common to Ash's stories.  In general, the blending of the more seriousness of the "Nightmare on Elm Street" and "Friday the 13th" franchises is blended nicely with the verbal comedy of the "Evil Dead" franchise.

The story is fairly strong in regards to working the Necronomicon Ex Mortis into why Ash would meet up with Freddy and Jason- and even adds a bit more logic to how Jason became the undead horror he is.  The plot also moves along at a decent clip as well.

What can we say about the characters?  Well, I found that Jason and Freddy were pretty close to what they were in their own franchises- a really good portrayal of them.  As for Ash?  The narrative thought balloons hinted at a cynicism and bitterness creeping into the character- giving him much more depth than he did in the movies.  It was a great little touch.  This comic also balanced the "screen time" each character got nicely.  Even though Ash is the narrative character, he didn't overwhelm the presence of the others.

The artwork was really good too.  The panel arrangements where energetic, and moved the eyes smoothly across the page.  The colours and lighting effects were used to great effect.  I also really enjoyed the way that sound effects were portrayed- they added a nice variety and energy to the panels.

One complaint I've often had in the past with comics based on movie characters is that more often than not, the characters look absolutely NOTHING like they do in the movies.  Not the case with this book.  Ash looks like Ash, and Freddy looks like Freddy.  The only one that has some differences is Jason when his mask is removed.  But that wasn't a bad thing, since the rather gooey, misshapen look of his head and face in the comic is just perfectly icky.

Also,  I thought that the way the kills were drawn were extremely well done.  They were gorey, inventive, and creatively portrayed in ink.  Just a great job.

If you're a fan of these franchises, I would definitely recommend reading, "Freddy vs Jason vs Ash".  It is quite entertaining, and I'd have very little problem reading it again in a few months time- this comic is going in The Good.